Creation of World's Largest Protected Area a Huge Win for Conservation

In response to today’s decision by President Obama to create the world’s largest protected area by expanding Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the Hawaii coast, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement from Brad Ack, senior vice president for oceans:

“We applaud President Obama for this action, and for his global leadership on stewardship of our living world. In creating the largest marine reserve in the world, the President is both renewing and building on our nation’s tradition of caring for and protecting our most biologically diverse and important places.

“With enormous pressures from climate change combining with myriad stresses to degrade the health of our oceans, today’s expansion is an act of much-needed ocean leadership. But with less than three percent of our oceans currently protected, and large areas virtually unmanaged, there’s much more global leaders must do to protect them for future generations.”